Selective signaling system.



R Nl SEL'ECTWE SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED 061115. i913.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

VV/'fnessesx RALPH N. HILL, OE BLooMEIELi), NEW JERSEY, AAssIcrNon To WESTERN- ELECTRIC COMPANY, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OE ILLINOIS.

SELECTIVE SIGNALINQ SYSTEM.

Manset.

Specication of Letters Patent.

. Patented am. so, Isra'.

Application filed October 15, 1913. Serial No. 795,175.

l T all whom t may concern:

' Parkavenue, Bloomfield, in the county ofv Be it knownthat I, RALPH N.. HILL, a citizen ofthe United. States, residlng at 42 which the following is a full, clear, concise,-

and exact description.

This invention relates to sele'ctlve signaling systems for train despatchmg and hke purposes, in which a plurality of Waystations located upon a line may be 'selectlvely signaled from asending or despatching stav tion.

T he object of this invention is to provide anetlicient, convenient andy reliable means for operating the signals avt-the waystations by ringing currentsupplied from the send-4 ing or despatching station.. n

In a system to which thls invention 1s .particularly adaptable, the Waystation selectors are bridged acrossthe line and an impulse sending relay located at'the main.

or sending station is operated to intermittently connect a source of current to the line wires for operating the selectors.

In the application of this invention to this system, the apparatus islso combined and connected that after a circult closing device located at a'waystation has been conditioned to receive a signal,l a circuit is closed at the main or'sending station for applying an undulating current to the line wires for signaling the way station attendant. y In the drawingrwFigure 1 is a circuitdiagram of a selective signaling systeniembodying this invention, and Fig. 2 is 'a fragmentary detail view of a selector showing the arrangement of the contact springs.

As shown in said drawings, A designatesv a sending or despatching station connected by means of line wires 5 and 6 with Waysta tions B and C. Located at the despatching .station A isan impulse transmitter 7 comprising a rotatable disk 8 provided with teeth 9 on its periphery, adapted said disk 8 rotates,.to close contacts 10, 11 for com-A pleting 'a circuit from-a local battery 12 through the winding ofan impulse relay 13. The operation of the impulse relay 13 intermittently connects and disconnects a battery 1l with the line wires 5 and (3 through armatures l5 and 1.6 and contact springs 17 and 18 of the impulse relay 13 to operate the selectors. Retardation coils 19, 2O and 2l connected in the line wires and a condenser 22 bridged across said line wires coperate to smooth out the current impulses sent over the line for selecting purposes, so that there will be no disagreeable thump-in any telephone receiver' which may be bridged across the line 1 during selection. A non-inductive resistance 23 normally in bridge of the line Wires 5 and 6'through a contact 24 on the impulse `relay 13, is'intermittently disconnected from and-connected therewith by the operation of the circuit from the battery 1 4 to the linewires and 6 is broken at said contacts. 4

30 designates a despatchers telephone set .said impulse relay. This non-inductive rei Bridgcd'around contacts which is normally across the line Wires 5 ed to vary the number of teeth effective forcalling purposes. The periphery of the segment 32 is at 'a greater distance from the center of the disk ,8 than the periphery of 'the teeth 9 and segment 3l, so that when it is engaged by the contact spring 10, the

-spring 11 is raised far enough to cause the engagement thereof with a spring 33 for completing a circuit from a battery 14 through the winding of an interrupter 31 and the primary of an induction coil 35 whose secondary is connected in the line wires; As the'interrupter 34 is energized it attracts armature 36, thereby opening the circuit through its winding, whereupon the armature 36 is retracted, closes the circuit and again permitsthe energization of the interrupter. In this way interrupted current is passed through the primary of the induction coil 35, and since there is direct current from the battery 14 on the line through the secondary of the induction, there is produced undulating current in the secondary thereof which passes'over the line wires for.

operating the signal' at the waystation.

25 3 holding magnetl 40 and the stepping magnet las, long as the spring is in engagement with the surface ofthe segment32 and thecontact 11, 33 remains closed.

The selector at each waystation embraces a slowacting magnet 4Q hereinafter termed a holding magnet, a quick-acting-magnet 41 hereinafter termed a stepping magnet and a be brought separately into engagement witha contact spring 62 located adjacent said ratchet'wheel 42 adapted to be rotated` in one direction under controllof the holding and stepping'emagnets40 andf41, and returned'to normal b means o f a coiled actuating spring 43'. he holding and stepping magnets Aare connected. in series in bridge of the line wires and control armatures 44' 'and 45 respectively. '.Carried by the armature 44 are two angularly disposed -arms 46 and 47,' the arm 46 being in engagement with a holding pawl 48, and the arm 47 being in engagement with a stepping -pawl 49 carried by the armature 45. The movement. I of the armature 44, due to energization of the magnet 40, permits the pawls 48 and 49 to be moved into position to engage the ratchet wheel 42 by ,the action vof springs 50 and 51 respectively. In series with the '41 is a non-inductive resista-nce' 53. The value of this 'resistance 53 varies for each waystation, the different value sthereof being such that the holding andstepping magnets at each 'waystation receive the same amount of current. l

` Referring now tothe details of the selector, it will be Vnoted that the ratchet wheel 42 carries two contact arms 60 and 61 adapted in'the rotation of said ratchet wheel to ratchet Wheel. The spring 62 is in mechanr cal engagement with the stepping armature' 45 through a projecting arm 63v (see Fig. 2) on said spring, which engages an insulating button vcarried by said arm. The tension of said springbeing in a direction to force it toward armature 45, said spring will par take of the motion of said armature during the stepping movement thereof. A second y contact spring 64' mounted adjacent to the spring 62 and inline therewith, normally bears against an insulating pin 65 on the stepping armature 45 when the selector partsl are in their normal or inoperative position,

'l and* against an insulating button 66 on the outer endl of the arm 47 when the -holding magnet is energized. and its armature 44 is in its attracted position. As shown in the drawing, the arm i'61 carriedby the ratchet 4wheel 42, is slightly longer than the arm from engagement withthe armature 45 and the`contact, made by the engagement of said arm -With said contact spring 62, completes a short circuit of the holding magnet 40. This causes the denergizing of the holding magnet 40 and permits the armature 44 thereof to drop back to normal position. The contact spring 64 remains in contact with the arm 47 until it comes into engagement with the insulating pin 65. The relation of the arm 60 with respect to said pin is such, however, that the spring 64 is stopped before it makes vcontact with the spring 62. If, however, the arm 61 is the one brought into contact with the spring 62, the relation of the parts will be changed. In this position of theparts, the engagement of the arm 61 with the spring 62 will complete the short circuit of the holding magnet 40 as in the former case, but Athe arm 61 being'longer than the arm 60, the contact spring 62 will be held in a position beyond the outer end of the insulating pin 65, so that as the spring 64 follows the arm 47 forward upon the release of the holding magnet armature 44, said spring 64 will be brought into contact with the spring 62 and will close the normally open bridge, which includes an alternating current bell 67 and a condenser 68, thereby conditioning said bell circuit for operation when contact is' made between springs 11 and 33 of the impulse transmitter 7. A resistance 69 if.' placed ina normally open bridge of the stepping magnet 41, so that as the alternating current bell 67 'is operated, said resistance is intermittently placed in parallel with the stepping magnet 41, thereby vcausing an intermittent'increase in flow of curl rent on the line and furnishing an answerback signal which will be heard through the despatchers receiver and notifying the de- .spatcher-that the bell at the Waystation is being operated..

Referring now to the operation of the se- .lective signaling system embodying this in-v vention, it will be assumed that the selector at ways'tation B is adapted to have the arm 60 brought into'engagemcnt with the spring 62 by live current impulses over the line and that it is arranged to have its arm 61 broughtinto engagement with the spring 64 in Aresponse to three impulses over the line. Now in order to operate the signal con-v trolled by the selector at waystation B, the despatcher starts an impulse transmitter 7 which Will first send five current impulses over the line. These five impulses will cause the selector to advance its ratchet wheel 42 five steps, bringing vthe arm 60 into Contact with the contact spring 62 and establishing a low resistance path around the holding;

magnet 40. 'Ihis path may be traced from a point 71 of the conductor 72 through arm 60, contact spring 62 and conductor 73 to a duction4 coil secondary, through po'int 74 of theconductory 75. This will put magnet 40, and its armature 44 will be retracted. As battery is kept on the line Wires 5 and 6 during the release of the holding magnet, the circuit of the stepping magnet 41 will remain intact from -line Wire 5 through conductors 76 and 77, non-inductive resistance 53, conductor 78, Winding of magnet 41, conductor 73, contact spring 62, arm 60 and conductor 72, lto line Wire 6. The current in this path Will maintain the magnet 41 energized until the circuit is opened at the despatcliing station, which is the next thing.- that occurs. This opening is only momentary but of sufficient duration to permit the release of the stepping magnet armature and permit the ratchet Wheel 42 to return to normal position. momentary opening there will be three more current impulses sent o'ver the line to which. the selector will' respond, and will have its arm 61 brought into engagement withthe contact spring V62. Current will now be held on the line wires for a definite length of time and the holding, magnet will be aga-in short circuited in the same manner as above described, and its armature released. The longer arm 61 now being the one in engagement with the contact spring 62,'the release of the armature 44 will cause the contact spring 644to engage contact spring 62, 4and the normally open bridged bell circuit will-be closed. At the Sallie1 time that the arm 61 has engaged contact spring 62', the' contact spring 10-of the( impulse transmitter has engagedthe `surface of the seg- 82, primary of induction coil 35, conductor 83, contact spr1ngs33 and 11 and conductor 84 to the other sideY 'ofthe vbattery 14. The lenergizin Puptcr will cause interruptor current to iiow in this circuit, which }fiassin'gthrough the primary of the induction coil will induce currcnt"in the secondary thereof which is superposed upon' the linewires. This super` posed current will" operate the' alternating current .bell 67 overa circuit which may be traced as follows: from half 8 5 of the inconductor 86, retardation coil 19, one-half ofretardation coil 21, line wire 5, concliictoi'-76, condenser 68, alternating current bell 67, conductor S7, contact springs 64 and' 62, arm 61, conductor 72, line wil-e6, other half of retardation coil -21, retardation coil 20, conductor 88, other half 89 of theinduction coil Following this 0' and denergizing of "the intera secondary, conductor 90,' armature 16 of ima dead short circuit around the holding pulse relay 13, local contact 18 thereof, con- 65 ductor 91, battery 14, conductor 92, local contact 17 of impulse relay 13, armature 15 thereof and` conductor 93 to half 85 of the I induction coil secondary. The opening of the "line circuit will release the armature of the stepping magnet 41, which, falling back, Will carry the contact spring 64 out of engagement with the contact spring 62 and at the same time permit the ratchet wheel 42 to return to normal position under action of the spring 43, thus opening the circuit for the alternating current bell. Opening of the ,line circuit also allows the spring 11 to'become out of engagement with the spring 33, thereby opening the circuit from battery 14 thrcugli the interrupter 34.

Since the selector and alternating current bell at Waystation C are similar to those at waystation B and are connected in circuit in like manner, and since the position of the contact arms (SO-and 61 at each waystation is different, the bell at waystation C may be operated by merely adjusting the sending key for the proper number.of impulses to 1 claim:u

1. In a selective signaling system, lin wires having'a sending station and a Waystation connected therewith, a sending key at said sending station, a selector at said waystation controlled by said sending key, an alternating current bell at said waystation, and alocalcircuit at said sending station including an iiiterrupter,` a battery and ar normally open contact on said sending key, said sending key in its operation closing said normally open contact and causing interrupted current in said local circuit to be associated with said line wires lfor operating said alternating current hell.

'2. In a selective signaling system, line wireshaving a sending station and a waystation connected therewith, a sending key rat said sending station, a selector at said xii'aystation controlled by said sending key,

analternating current bell at Vsaid waystation, a local-circuit at said sending station including an interruptor, an induction coil .primary and-battery, and means controlled by said sending key for closing said `local circui't,vwhereby superposed current is associated 'with said line wire for operating said alternating current bell.`

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of October, A. D. 1913.

RALPH N. HILL. Vitnesses z Roy. C. l-Iorooon, EDNA D. Mannini. 

